Art is for…?

I’m not the first to share this video by Alain de Botton on the purpose of art, but it still seems worthy of discussion even if I’m a little late to the party. I think his question about the purpose of art is one worth asking. If we ever question art (which we don’t do often enough) we ask about its meaning and not its reason for existing. Its meaning becomes a place holder for its existence, but why not go deeper? Alain de Botton breaks down that existence into five characteristics; Hope, Art makes us less lonely, Art rebalances us, Art helps us appreciate stuff and Art is propaganda for what really matters. So what do you think? Do those characteristics encompass the infinite variety of what we accept as art? Would they actually be more effective if we use broader terms to say something like art makes us think and feel?